The debut novel by Nancy Famolari promises an interesting read. When Summer Langston loses her father, she has few options for her livelihood. She’s been training horses on a farm owned by Ned. She’s determined to keep her only inheritance, a potentially great trotter Meadow, for her own.

On her way, she partners with Davis, a famous race driver. They fall in love, complicating Davis’s original plan to get the horse away from Summer and into Max’s hands. Max is a wealthy owner who has reputation for fixing races and drugging horses and has been paying Davis for help to get Meadow.

Summer claims the right to drive Meadow on race day, dismissing the concerns Davis has about trouble. Meadow and Summer are both injured, though Summer has a much longer and harder recovery. Davis blames himself and leaves the scene for awhile.

She finds a place for herself and Meadow at a stable, but will she end up with Davis? Does continued trouble from Max cause her to lose Meadow? Will someone else sweep her off her feet?

What inspired you to write this story? Summer’s Story takes place in the fast paced world of harness racing. For fourteen years, my husband and I had a small Standardbred breeding farm in New Jersey. We raised and raced these marvelous horses. Harness racing is very exciting. There are many heart warming stories about an owner or trainer believing in their horse and against the odds getting the horse to win a big race. This is what happens in Summer’s Story. There are also people who take advantage of both horses and people for personal gain, not caring the least about how the horse is affected. I believed these elements would make a good novel. I hope people agree.

Do you have a favorite character? Summer Langston is my favorite character. She’s a very determined lady who cares about her horse, Meadow, and overcomes severe personal and professional obstacles to get her horse to the winner’s circle. In the process, she learns something about herself and how to give and receive love. I like the fact that she’s gutsy and doesn’t give up easily.

What are your future writing plans? I have a second book under contract to Red Rose Publishing. This novel is a murder mystery, Murder in Montbleu. The setting is a small town in Pennsylvania similar to the one I live in. I’ve become very friendly with the characters in this novel and have two other novels that use the same setting, Lake House and Buttermilk Falls Murder. I’m still in the process of editing them, but hope to find a home for them.